Shaker Lemon Pie
Having a snow – well- ice day and owning lemon trees got me to thinking. When I do, I’m usually thinking about cooking something yummy.
Once I heard a chef say that no one has an original recipe. All great cooks learned from their grandmother’s kitchen. I think there is something to that. We didn’t all have grandmothers who were good cooks or even liked to cook. Personally, I’m one for two on that count but I did love spending time in my grandmother’s, my mother’s, actually anyone’s kitchen. With that habit it would be impossible not to pick up some recipes and handy tricks along the way. This pie did not come from the kitchen of anyone I know. The Shaker sect was long gone before I was born. Not procreating will do that to a group. Still, they were fascinating and a one-hour trip to Kentucky’s Shaker Town is a worthwhile activity. Their traditions and legacy are well preserved for anyone to see. So are their recipes.
This particular one has two likely origins. Some people call one an Ohio Pie where a lemon meringue type of pie was popular basically consisting of lemon juice sugar and eggs. The Shaker pie is different because they were so very frugal, and lemons were expensive, so they used the whole lemon – peel and all. The lemons should be sliced paper thin. I did that with a mandolin but good knife skills or a food processor would suffice. Next the sliced lemons macerate for at least four hours in sugar to soften the peel. Finally, just stir in eggs and bake in a crust. Here is where I cheated, and any Shaker would roll over in his or her grave if they knew I added a tablespoon of Triple Sec and a pinch of salt. But I did and I am not ashamed. I made up for poor behavior with a homemade crust.
Without too much bragging, it was just a fun pie. The filling is kind of a cross between marmalade and a lemon curd that has some texture. It was nice at room temperature but personally I’d choose cold for the refrigerator any time. Of course, I did have a snow/ice day to play with this recipe, but it really was about zero trouble. Slice two lemons and mix in sugar, wait a bit, and mix in eggs. Put it in a crust a bake. There is definitely something to be said for that Shaker song we learned when we were little “Tis a Gift to Be Simple.” Make this simple but lovely dessert – it won’t last long! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 lemons
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
Sallie’s additions – very optional – 1 Tbsp Triple Sec and ¼ tsp salt
Pie crust – homemade or from the store.
Directions:
Slice lemons as thinly as possible removing seeds as you go.
Stir together with 2 cups of sugar. (And optional ingredients if using.)
Let sit at least 4 hours and up to 24 stirring occasionally. (If you missed seeds they come to the top while sitting in sugar.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put pie crust in a pie pan.
Mix eggs into the lemon mixture and pour into crust.
Bake 10 minutes and turn oven temp to 350 degrees and bake about 25 minutes until a knife insert comes out clean.
Cool to room temperature.
We liked it best cold from the refrigerator – but awfully good at any temp.
